Moving Histories is the first book to detail the lives of women who left Ireland after independence. Drawing on a wide range of archival material, this book traces new narratives to bring original insights into the migration of thousands of Irish women in the twentieth century. Despite having a strong tendency to leave Ireland like men, women’s migration to Britain has been less well studied. Yet Irish women could be found in all walks of life in Britain, from the more familiar fields of nursing and domestic service to teaching, factory work and more. This original study also considers the public commentary made about Irish women from the pulpit, press and politicians, who thought the women to be flighty, in need of guidance and prone to moral failures away from home. The repeated coverage of the ‘emigrant girl’ in government memos and journals gave the impression Irish women were leaving for reasons other than employment. Moving Histories argues that the continued focus on Irish unmarried mothers in Britain was based on genuine concerns and a real problem, but such women were not representative. They were, rather, an indictment of the conservative socio-cultural environment of an Ireland that suppressed open discourse of sexuality and forced women to ‘hide their shame’ in institutions at home and abroad.
The book is based on Dr Redmond's PhD and postdoctoral work conducted at Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth University respectively. It will be launched in 2019 by Professor Enda Delaney, University of Edinburgh, one of the series editors of Reappraisals in Irish History at Liverpool University Press.
Commemorations
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News
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Votes for Women
Maynooth University commemorated the 100th anniversary of female suffrage on 3 May with a lively panel discussion introduced by Senator Mary Alice Higgins
Date: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
The (re)birth of Marx(ism): haunting the future?
This major international conference explored Marx and Engels’ contributions to analysis and political practice, how their life and work helped shape history and culture around the world, the many different strands and meanings of “Marxism”, and how we can understand their legacy and ongoing relevance today.
Date: Saturday, 05 May 2018
Irish Times features Claire McGing on voting practice in Ireland
Quotas boost women in Dáil but let’s smash all barriers to honour suffragettes
Date: Friday, 04 May 2018
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Votes for Women
Maynooth University commemorated the 100th anniversary of female suffrage on 3 May 2018 with an excellent panel discussion featuring contributions from Dr Margaret Ward (QUB), Prof Louise Ryan (University of Sheffield) and Dr Caitriona Beaumont (London South Bank University).
Date: Thursday, 03 May 2018
Commemorating the Conscription Crisis and General Strike (1918)
Dr Emmet O’Connor, University of Ulster, explores whether the Conscription Crisis and General Strike lead to the subordination of class to nation.
Date: Thursday, 12 April 2018
Commemorating the Irish Revolution
Maynooth University commemorated the Irish Revolution with a lecture on Tuesday, 13 February by Catherine Marshall
Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Commemorating the influenza pandemic of 1918-19
Dr Ida Milne explained how the 1918-19 influenza pandemic killed at least 23,000 Irish people, and probably infected about 800,000 people on the island, about one fifth of the population.
Date: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Contested Memories: Revisiting the Battle of Mount Street Bridge, 1916 - Journal Article
The Battle of Mount Street Bridge, 26 April 1916, was the most successful rebel military engagement of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.
Date: Friday, 03 November 2017
Southern Irish Loyalism in Context - Conference Proceedings
The full conference proceedings of the recent 'Southern Irish Loyalism in Context' are now available via iTunes, download and subscribe to listen to the papers delivered.
Date: Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Dr. Aileen O'Carroll Publishes New Book The Dublin Docker: Working Lives of Dublin's Deep-Sea Port
New book on the social occupational history of Dublin Dockers
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2017